A network based image processing system has been used. An example of network based image processing system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. HEI 9-238215. In the system disclosed in the publication, a digital copying device is connected to a host computer having the function that the digital copying device does not have. The digital copying device sends a control command code and the density of an image to the host computer, while the host computer analyzes the received control command code and executes image processing by using an image editing function associated with image data to be processed.
The image data processed by the host computer is then sent back to the digital copying device, and is printed by the digital copying device. In the system, if new functions are added to the host computer, data indicating the new function is provided from the host computer to the digital copying device, and the digital copying device operates to request a user to select a new function to be added to the digital copying device. In other words, in the system, a new function, which the user wants to use, is made available when the new function is selected and registered by the user in the digital copying device.
However, the above system is unsuitable for environments in which the number of services randomly increases and decreases from day to day (like general servers on the Internet).
Specifically, since each function added to the host computer becomes available to the user when the user registers the function in the digital copying device in the system explained above, in environments (like general servers on the Internet) in which various types of services are added and removed frequently, the user has to conduct the registration of functions in the digital copying device very often, with an increasing amount of information to be registered.